The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (独立行政法人宇宙航空研究開発機構, Dokuritsu-gyōsei-hōjin Uchū Kōkū Kenkyū Kaihatsu Kikō, literally "Independent Administrative Institution on Aerospace Research and Development "), also known as JAXA,^[1] is Japan's national space agency.^[2]

JAXA is an Independent Administrative Institution.^[3]

JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and the launch of satellites into orbit. JAXA is involved in advanced missions, such as asteroid exploration and possible manned exploration of the Moon.^[4]

In 2003, three organizations were merged to form the new JAXA.^[5]

• Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS)^[5]
• National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL)^[5]
• National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA)^[5]

Ōsumi was Japan's first satellite. It was sent into orbit in 1970.^[6]

• Independent Administrative Institution (IAI), 2001
• List of Independent Administrative Institutes in Japan

• JAXA Archived 2007-03-21 at the Wayback Machine
• Twitter
• "JAXA 2025" Presentation Archived 2006-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
• "JAXA Channel" Official YouTube channel
• International Space Station (ISS) and "Kibo" Information center
• JAXA - Space Environment Utilization and Space Experiment
• RAND Report on Japan's Space Program, 2005
• CSIS Report on US-Japan Space Policy Cooperation, 2003
• GOSAT satellite Archived 2005-10-26 at the Wayback Machine
• Japan's Evolving Space Program

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